Juan Gris’ Fruit Dish, Glass, and Lemon is a prominent example of the French artist’s still life paintings. Completed in 1916 and part of a private collection, this painting is known for its dark lighting and prominent display of the French newspaper, Le Journal. Gris was renowned for his use of black and white in his artworks to create flattened planes and shadows.
Aside from newspapers, Gris often incorporated fruit and glassware into his still life compositions. Another notable work by the artist is Newspaper and Fruit Dish, which features subtle patterns to create an illusion of texture. In Bottle and Fruit Dish, warm brown tones juxtaposed with cooler greens and greys form another noteworthy composition.
Gris’ artworks were predominantly Cubist in nature. He used motifs such as guitars and violins throughout many pieces to emphasize form over color. The emphasis on lines helps showcase a range of textures from smooth glassware to rough fruit rinds. From examining these works we can appreciate how Juan Gris was able to showcase emotion through simplicity – blending colors together though simple shapes geometrics forms creating extravagant artwork that leaps off the canvas right towards the viewer’s imagination.
Format: Information